


As Time Goes By- A year in a College AU

by Violet_showstopper



Category: 2P Hetalia - Fandom, Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Childhood Friends, F/F, F/M, Found Family, Friendship, Gen, I'm sure they'll be, M/M, Nonbinary Character, Past Child Abuse, Trans Character, mentioned - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-27
Updated: 2019-08-10
Packaged: 2020-05-20 11:57:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19376242
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Violet_showstopper/pseuds/Violet_showstopper
Summary: Snippets of life through the eyes of a group of college students, mapping out the world around them and the world of each other.Each chapter is a day in a month & from somebody elses POV.





	1. April 7th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group gets together for the first day of spring break and Al feels out of place.

“C’mon, slowpoke!” Amy called over her shoulder, taking the last final steps up the hill to the top. In her hand was a picnic basket.

“Don’t rush me!” Allen called back, huffing in exhaustion. They weren’t used hiking like this. Amy said it  wasn’t a hike, but it definitely was. She waved at them from the top of the hill, a huge grin on her face. “You  mock me, sunshine,” they huffed once they got to the top.

“Shush. Lay the blanket down.” And they did, rolling out the big checkered blanket over the grass. Once it was down, the two of them settled on it. Amy had picked a nice sunny spot with a view over the field, and down to the city below them.

“Now, isn’t this nice?” She teased them.

They just huffed. Their idea of spring break was nothing like this. Usually it was a getting piss drunk and watching something stupid on TV. Not hiking out onto a hill and having a picnic. Before he met Amy, they would have never thought of that.

“Who else is coming?” They asked,

“Toni and and Mar. They’re bringing some beer too. I’m the designated driver- whoo…”

“Is Francis not coming?” They raised an eyebrow. “He’s usually all about nature ‘nd shit.”

“No. Said he needed to go home for a family thing. Something about inheritance? I don’t know. Rich people.” Amy shrugged, digging around for a juice box. “Cherry, watermelon, or lemonade?” She asked, glancing up at her friend.

“Rich people” They echoed, “Hit me up with a lemonade. How many did you buy?

“A lot. There’s also water in there. Stay hydrated ‘nd all.”

Allen nodded, catching the lemonade juice box as she tossed it over.. They watched Amy scout around their little plot of land, scooping up stick into her arms. Al grinned- she was setting up a bonfire. That would be fun. They thought back to Toni and Maria, wondering how long it would take to get there. A good chunk of the way up here was hiking, and...

“Hey, is that scrawny kid coming?” They asked suddenly.

“Huh?” Amy looked up from where she was collecting sticks.

“The blond skinny kid. Uh...Plays on the soccer team, I think?”

“Oh! Arthur.” Amy scuffed her foot on the ground, kicking away some dead leaves to reveal a plot of dirt, almost a scoop in the ground. She unloaded the sticks into it. “No. Big groups like this aren’t his thing. Why?”

“We were in the same Criminal Justice class, I’ve uh, seen him walk with Toni before. Thought I’d actually get a chance to introduce myself.”

“You can just talk to him, y’know. He’s not as intimidating as you think.”

“Nah, he’s not intimidating. I just think it’d be weird if I walked up to him and introduced myself out of the blue."

“You’ve never talked, but you know he’s on the soccer team? Weirdo alert,” Amy teased, dropping the sticks into a pile, then kneeling down to arrange them.   
“Shut up!” They stuck their tongue out at her.

Amy laughed, shaking her head. “Nah. But he’s cool, we’ve known each other since we were kids.”

“How does somebody put up with you for that long?”

“Allen, I’m gonna beat you up.”

“Hey, save some for the rest of us!” Came a laugh from a little ways down the hill. And up came Maria, smiling hugely like always.

“Maria!” They called out together, Allen hopping up from their spot on the blanket and waving at her. Toni was a bit behind her, carrying a 6-pack.

“What am I, chopped liver?” Toni joked, catching up just as Maria plopped down on the picnic blanket.

“Yes,” Allen responded, getting a playful scoff from Antonio.

“Boys! No fighting,” Amy scolded playfully, “Al, lemme use your lighter.”

Al chuckled and dug around in their pocket for a moment before producing their lighter from their pocket and tossing it over. It landed firmly Amy’s hand firmly, and she kneeled down, lighting up some crumpled pieces of paper she’d brought.

“We got fire!” She called out over her shoulder, and Al couldn’t help but grin. Amy was always so enthusiastic. With a grin, Maria broke away and went over to Amy, and the two began to talk excitedly.

“Hey, Al. Didn’t know you were coming.” Toni said as he settled on the picnic blanket. Toni and them hadn’t really talked much since Al joined their little group- communication limited to friendly jabs. Al usually hung more around the girls than anything, sometimes Matthias when he was around.

“Aw, thought you could get rid of me?” Al teased.

“Mhm. How disappointing,” Antonio sighed dramatically and pulled a juice box from the picnic basket. “Any plans for spring break?”

Al shook their head. They had briefly considered going home for it, but after finding out that the dorms didn’t close during spring break, they decided to stay. Flying out there wasn’t worth it. “Get high enough to forget my name, maybe?” They said with a chuckle, and got a blank look from Toni, which turned into a frown.

“That’s not good for your system,  _amigo._ And you could get in trouble with the school.”

Al blinked. “N- Dude, it was a joke.”

“It wasn’t funny.”

The silence that came after that was very uncomfortable.

“Well, uh, what are your plans?” They eventually asked, breaking the silence.

“Flying out to see family in Spain.”

“That’s fun.”

“Mhm.”

And more silence. Eventually Al stood to join the girls over at the fire. The silence was too much, and he’d rather be around them. They were chattering like starlings. Al tuned in, recognizing they were talking about the new episode of a show.

That Al didn’t watch.

After a few moments, Al piped up.

“Hey, Amy?”

“Yeah?” She looked over, blue eyes bright in the flickering bonfire light.

“I’m gonna head back to my dorm.”

“What?” Her eyebrows crinkled together, confused. Al could see a flash of across her features “Why?”

“I..” They searched for an excuse. “I’m getting a headache, I wanna lay down.”

“Oh...Do you want me to drive you home?” She was already putting down her juice box.

“No! No thank you. I can walk. Thanks for inviting me, tonight, sugar. I appreciate it.” And with a mock-bow, they took their leave.

 

~~

 

The walk back to their dorm room was quiet. As the sun set, the temperature dropped as well, and they found themselves shuddering each bite of chilly wind.

“Should have brought a jacket,” they muttered to themselves, staring down at their feet. They hadn’t thought that they’d need it, it was  _spring._ Al huffed.

Al got so wrapped up in their thoughts, that they hadn’t been watching where they were going, and bumped right into someone.

“Shit, sorry-” They said, and looked up right into the eyes of Arthur.

They hadn’t realized Arthur’s eyes were green.

“Mm, it’s alright,” Arthur shrugged, moving to step around Al, but Al spoke before he could walk away.

“Hey! You’re uh, Amy’s friend, right?” They spoke, and Arthur stared at him for a second before nodding.

“Yes...And you are..?”

“Al. I’m in your criminal justice class.”

A blank stare.

“I sit like two seats behind you.”

Arthur squinted, before recognition flashed in his eyes. “Right! You’re the one always asking to borrow a pencil.”

“That’s me.” Allen said with a wink. “What’re you doing out here this late?”

“Getting food...I was going to order in but I realized a walk would probably be good for me. What about you? Wasn’t Amy doing something tonight? She said she invited you.” Arthur crossed his arms over his chest. Now that Arthur recognized them, Al could almost taste the contempt coming off of him.

“Mhm. Decided to book it early. Groups, y’know?”

“I do know.” Al saw Arthur hesitate before speaking again, “would you like to join me in finding dinner?”

A grin cracked across Al’s face.

“I’d love to.”


	2. May 23rd

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Francis goes out to eat with his friends to try and get his family off his mind.

Francis was waiting. Sat atop of a concrete wall, lollipop in his mouth as  _Obsession_ by Animotion bumped in his headphones. 

Maria and Antonio were late. 

Normally, that wouldn't bother him too much. It would be weirder, even, if his friends actually got there on time. But it was nearly five minutes since Antonio sent the "omw :)!" text, and five minutes past the time they were supposed to meet up! He huffed and slid off the wall, dropping down to the ground and beginning to pace in small circles. 

Some people would say Francis was being impatient. He wouldn't disagree with them. It had felt like years since the last time their little group had been able to actually get together- just the three of them. And with everything happening with his family, his father's sickness...He needed to get out. 

Finally, Antonio pulled up in his black Sedan, rolling the window down as he did so. 

" _Oye, chico lindo!"_ Toni playfully called, and Francis flipped his hair just as playfully as he approached the car. 

"Finally, someone around here with eyes," Francis purred, clambering into the backseat, tucking his phone away. "What took you so long?" 

"Huh? We're only a few minutes late." Antonio flashed him a look in the rearview mirror. He began to pull away into the street, and Maria twisted in the passenger seat to grin her sharklike grin at him. 

"My fault. I wanted to finish my drink." 

Francis rolled his eyes, making a soft "tsk" noise in the back of his throat. "It's three in the afternoon, Mari." 

"Eh, five'oclock somewhere. Besides, it was one beer." 

Francis normally would have prodded more, but he didn't want to argue. He didn't wanna spend this cartrip arguing over one beer at three in the afternoon. 

"Are you still living with your sister?" Francis asked, changing the subject. 

"Mhm, unfortunately. She's been bringing her boyfriend around lately." Maria made a face before turning around in her seat. "It's gross. Imagine being straight." 

"Ew." Francis and Toni said at the same time. 

"Isn't her boyfriend uh'.....Lovino's twin?" Antonio asked, turning into a parking lot. "What's his name?" 

" _Felenciano,"_ Mari said, obviously mocking her sister. Francis felt a grin pulling at his lips. 

"Do you have a problem with Feli?" Francis asked, pretending to be shocked and offended. "I'll have you know, he's in my Classic Lituratue class, and he's an absolute  _treat."_

"Mm. I bet Cari eats him up." Toni purred.

"Stop!" Maria groaned, covering her ears. "I don't wanna think about that!" 

Toni and Francis erupted into cackles, and Francis felt himself relax a bit. Yeah, this is what he needed. Just some time with friends. Toni eventually found a parking spot and they unloaded. 

This was a diner the three of them frequented, away from their bigger group of friends. The food was good, and it was cozy, and each of them liked it for different reasons. 

Maria liked the view from the window. 

Toni liked the food. 

And Francis likes anywhere he can hang with his friends. The fact that the place was always spotlessly clean was just a bonus. 

"What about you, Mari?" Francis asked after the three of them entered the diner and got seated- a nice booth seat with a slant of sunlight cast over the tabletop that warmed the three of them. 

"What about me?" She scoffed. She had gotten to the booth first, so she settled in next to the window. Francis slid in next to her, and Toni sat across the table. 

"Got your eye on anybody?" He elbowed her gently, and she just swatted at him. 

"No." She sighed dramatically. "I guess I'm just to cool for people to like, I don't know. Girls see me and they just know that after dating me, they won't want to date anyone else after me. I raise the bar too high." 

"And boys?" Toni prodded. 

Mari raised an eyebrow. "You guys are the only males I respect." 

The three of them erupted into giggles

"What about Arthur?" Toni asked, smiling up at the waitress as she slid their drinks onto the table. 

"What  _about_ him?" Francis watched as Maria rolled the straw paper up in her fingers into a little ball. "He's stupid and British." 

"Some might say you're stupid and German, Maria." Toni responded.

Mari just stuck her tongue out. "And they're right."

Francis frowned at that. He knew that those were just jokes, but it still bothered him when his friends put themselves down like that. It always had.

"Hey, you're not stupid," Francis interjected, pulling the little paper off of his own straw. Idly. he twisted and folded it in his fingers until it was a tiny square. "Don't put yourself down like that." 

"Sorry. You're stupid and French." 

Francis gasped, tossing his little paper square at Maria. It bounced off of her face and right into her drink.

"You bastard!" She didn't even stop to mourn the paper now globbing into her drink, in order to land a few light punched onto Francis' shoulder. He laughed, pushing her away. 

"So sensitive,  _mon cheri!"_ He said with a large smile across his face. 

"Girls, stop fighting." Toni said with the same exasperation of a mom trying to control a group of kids. Despite the tone of voice, a grin was across his features.

"Besides, Toni," Maria got back on topic, fishing the little paper out of her drink with her straw, "you're only defending Arthur cause you  _like him."_

Toni's face reddened, and he looked away. 

"Oh, you totally do. Didn't you guys already go out?" Maria continued to press. 

"Last semester. We weren't like, in a relationship or anything." 

"I heard he's into Allen now." Francis said as he chewed on his straw. Toni frowned deeply. 

"Al's a bad influence." 

"You barely know them." Maria rolled her eyes. "You're just being rude." 

Toni scoffed. "Maybe so." 

Francis and Maria exchanged glances. They both knew how in love Antonio was with Arthur, and how frustrating it was to see Antonio still pursue him after it hadn't worked out. It was like watching a dog chase it's own tail.

The relationship conversation pulled to a close, however as theey got their food ordered and delivered to their table. Their conversation became peppered with small talk, gossip, and teasing. 

When Francis' phone vibrated in his pocket, he ignored it at first. He was trying to spend time with his friends- the real world could wait. When it vibrated three more times, he reluctantly pulled it from his pocket and checked his messages. 

What he read made the world fade around him, suddenly feeling like he'd been dunked into a cold pool of water. His friends laughter faded around him. He felt like he was floating, and his body moved on autopilot. Slowly, he stood. 

"-ncis? Francis, are you okay?" Maria's voice finally broke through, and he blinked, remembering where he was. Still, he felt far away from them. Like he was watching a scene play out in front of him. 

"I need to go." He finally said, "I'm leaving for France tomorrow."

"What's wrong? Did something happen?" He distantly felt Toni's hand on his arm. 

"My father just died." 


	3. June 20th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arthur wins the final game for his Uni's team, then spends the night with his gaggle of rambunctious friends.

Arthur moved quickly down the field, dribbling the ball between his feet. He was sweating hard, his own panting only drowned out by the cheering of the crowd. Expertly, he dodged out of the way of somebody on the opposing team, the attempts to swipe the ball from him only encoouraging him to move faster, determined. 

The lights were blaring into his eyes, washing the field in bright white.They made the stadium shine like the sun. It was like the last scene in a movie- final game of the season tied 5-5, timer ticking down fast, Arthur rushing down the field. A solid kick to pass it to his teammate while he moved forwards more, and in a swift motion it was passed right back to him. 

The warm night air of June filled his lungs, and cooled his nearly burning skin. The only thing that mattered to Arthur at that moment was landing that goal. Not only for his team, but for his own pride. They hadn't gotten this far to lose. Everything seemed to drown out as Arthur neared the goal. The clock was ticking. All at once, adrenaline shot through him. With one, hard and swift kick, Arthur rocketed the ball towards the goal, the force knocking himself off balance. He watched almost in slow motion as the goalie dove to block it, and the ball sailed over his head and into the goal. 

Then the noise rushed back into his ears, the crowd screaming, his team cheering, the announcer shouting into the microphone. A crazy, wild laugh left him as his team crashed into him into sweaty hugs, and he was lifted off the ground and into the air. It was dizzying, being paraded around the stadium by his team. A good dizzying, a kind that left him in triumphant tears. 

Once he was let down, he rushed across the field where his friends were all gathered, obviously having clambered down after the game ended. He met one of them with a hard punch on the shoulder. 

"And you said I couldn't do it, you stupid bastard! What do you call that, huh? We Brits like to call that  _kicking ass!"_

The friend he had punched, Antonio, simply laughed and wrangled Arthur under his arm, giving him a noogie. The two of them were laughing hard, and Arthur delivered a kick to Antonio's shin to get him to let him go. 

"I don't know, still no impressed,  _mi Arthur pequeño."_ Antonio continiued to tease.

"You're such an asshole!" Another playful punch to Antonio's shoulder, Francis and Maria cracking up behind the Spaniard.

Arthur wasn't even bothered when Francis came up and swept him into a bruising hug. He was surprised Francis wasn't repelled by how sweaty he was. "You did so good out there! You made us all proud!" 

"Fuck yeah he did, that's my fucking  _boy!"_ Maria nearly shouted, giving Arthur a hard smack on the back. "If you had missed that goal I would have lost my mind." 

"She was so nervous for you." 

"Was not!"

"You were shaking in nerves up there,  _ma fille!"_

"Shut up!"

Arthur laughed as the argument went on for a few moments, turning his gaze up at the stands. He was looking for someone...

"Did Allen make it?" He asked, trying to interrupt their argument. The two of them didn't seem to care. 

"How would we know?" Antonio said, and Arthur could almost feel him wrinkling up his nose at the mention of the name. 

"They hang out with you guys sometimes." 

"They probably didn't even know your game was today," Antonio scoffed, and Arthur glared at him over his shoulder. Antonio never liked Allen, which was fair. A lot of people didn't. With their flashing clothes and abrasive attitude, it was almost always a hit or miss with them. Hell, even Arthur didn't like them at first. 

"Aw, c'mon. Don't do this now," Arthur grumbled. Antonio just pouted, but didn't say anymore. 

"Amy and Matthias are waiting at the resturaunt for us," Maria piped up, glancing up from her phone. "They wanted to score us a seat and congratulate you there." 

" _Score_ us a seat?" Francis said with a cheeky grin, and the group groaned in annoyance. 

"Let me go get changed!" Arthur grinned at his group of friends before hurrying into the locker rooms. The whole time, he couldn't stop grinning. The rush of winning the game, spending more time with his friends, even the fact that he  _had_ friends was somewhat thrilling. And it only took being sent to an out-of-country University. Imagine that!

Once Arthur was changed and no longer sweaty and gross, he met back up with his friends outside and was quickly ushered to Marias car. They all piled in, and the ride to the restuaraunt was loud with music and excited chatter. 

When they got there, they spotted Amy and Matthias sitting in one of the booths, talking animatedly with each other. Animatedly enough that Amy was up, waving her hands around. When they got close enough, they could hear the tail end of what she was saying. 

"-And  _anyways,_ even if his only crime was loving her too much or whatever, he was still trying to  _kill her kids!_ Like, what the fuck!"

"Yeah!" Matthias joined, thrusting his fist into the air. "She deserves justice!" 

"What on Earth are you two talking about?" Francis said with a raised eyebrow, moving one of the tables over to extend the boothed table. 

"A book Amy is re-reading." Matthias chirped. 

"Should I even ask?" 

"She'll start over." 

Francis mock shuddered, and Amy shoved his shoulder a bit. "Hey! There's my winner!" Her mood seemed to change upon seeing Arthur, pulling him into the booth next to her and into a swift hug. "You were epic, dude! When you zero'd in on the ball and then-  _wham!_ The crowd lost it! I nearly cried for you."

Arthur's face was starting to strain from grinning so much. "Oh, please, you're flattering me. It's all comes from practice." 

"Shut up, don't be modest. You kicked ass." Matthias stuck his tongue out at him. 

"Well, maybe I did." 

"Stop, you'll enflate his ego like a balloon." Francis rolled his eyes. "One day it'll pop like one too." 

"Eat my ass, frog!" 

The rest of the night followed much the same, loud and probably bothering the other patrons of the resturaunt. At some point, Arthur ended up with ranch smeared on his face. Just the same, Francis ended up with chocolate milkshake in his hair. 

It was a surprise to none of them when they ended up getting kicked out. Antonio paid for the group with no qualm, having the most money off hand at the time. And none of them were really gonna protest, especially not when Antonio insisted. 

"I just think it's because he thought the waitress was hot," Arthur said to Amy, who was driving him back to his dorm. He was the last person to be dropped off, some late night talk show playing dully on the radio. 

Amy laughed. "Probably. In his defense, she was." 

"He was probably trying to show off that he has money or something," he laughed, shaking his head at the idea. Antonio was probably just trying to be nice. 

"Watch out resturaunt waitress, a man with the group you just had to kick out thinks you're hot." 

Arthur snickered, covering his hand  with his mouth. The two of them were quiet for a second.

"Thank you guys for coming out tonight. It means a lot." 

"Of course, dude. You're my best friend." 

"I'd better be. I was almost jealous of Matthias back there- taking my best friend spot." 

"Don't be grumpy." 

"Woe is me." 

Amy snorted and slowed to a stop in front of Arthur's dorm. "Get out, jockass." 

"Goodnight, Amy." 

"Goodnight. I'll text you when I can." 

"Mhm." Arthur clambered out of the car and up to his dorm, trekking up the staircase to his floor. Immedietly upon getting into his dorm, he wriggled out of his shoes and promptly passed out into the warm darkness of sleep. 


	4. July 14th

Toni hummed, laying back on floaty as the sun beat down on him. He could feel the ocean bob and dip under him, rocking the floaty from side to side gently. In any other situation, this definitely would have lulled him to sleep. 

But he was at his beach house with his friends. 

Which is why he was only barely surprised when the floaty suddenly jerked under him and he was flipped over, crashing into the salty ocean water. 

Antonio sputtered, breaking the surface with bubbly laughter. The sun sparkled off of the water, and not three feet from him, paddled Francis and Maria, grinning like the Devil. 

“Which one of you did that?!” He demanded playfully. The two pointed at each other. 

So Toni splashed them both, Maria cackling with laughter and Francis jerking backwards, like he was worried he was going to get his hair wet. 

Little did Francis know, his hair was already dripping. 

Antonio’s parents had owned this beach house for a while. Every summer, the family would pile into the van and spend a month or so out near the waves. It was one of Antonio’s favorite family traditions. The first time he’d been allowed to bring a friend, he’d been thrilled. 

When his parents told him they were too busy to head down there that summer, Antonio was disappointed. Until they said he could bring his group of friends down. 

_ Just don’t trash the place,  _ is all they had said, his dad playfully flicking his nose. 

So there they were. His friends, and Al. 

He hadn’t wanted to invite Al, really. 

But when both Amy  _ and  _ Arthur put on the puppy-dog eyes? Forget it. 

It wasn’t like he disliked Al. No. He just thought they were a bad influence. 

Arthur said they didn’t know each other enough yet. Antonio had just rolled his eyes. 

With a shove, Antonio headed for shore, leaving Maria and Francis to their splash fight. He decided to stand in the shallows for a moment, knowing how hot the sand would be on a day that was baking as this one. 

His attention was drawn to a loosely-ruled volleyball game Amy and Al had set up. A line was drawn in the sand, and they were bumping the volleyball back and forth, with a lot of confidence from both of them. Arthur was acting like a ref, calling out when Amy spiked and Al cursed. 

Despite himself, he chuckled. 

“Hey!” He called out, finally wading out of the water and onto the sand. The three turned their attention to him. 

“Do any of you want ice pops?” 

A resounding “yes, please!” chimed, so he made his way inside to the kitchen (dragging sand inside) and returned victorious. 

“Blue for Amy.” She snatched it from him, eagerly cracking it open. 

“Orange for Arthur.” Arthur grinned and took his. 

“And red for Al.” Al grinned their lopsided grin and swiped it from Antonio’s hand. 

“Thank you,” they said, pulling open the package with their teeth. 

Al was a bad influence, sure. But they were hard to  _ hate _ . While they were snarky and rude sometimes, so was Arthur. And their sense of humor wasn’t the best, but they made themselves laugh. They were confident too, but in a way that grated against Antonio’s nerves. Like, when they stood too close to Arthur or showed off their tattoos to the group, and stuck out their pierced tongue and said  _ It didn’t really hurt, honestly.  _

It was beyond irritating. 

“So what’s the sleeping plan for tonight?” Amy asked him as the group of four settled on their towels. 

“There are three bedrooms,” Toni said, “so we’ll have to double up.” 

“Oh no,” Al crooned, tilting their head to the side. Their piercings glinted in the sun. “I guess we’re sharin’ a room, Artie.” 

Toni could feel his mouth pressing into a line. 

“Don’t be gross,” Arthur quipped back, biting down onto his popsicle. 

Amy spoke up before Toni could say something that could potentially embarrass himself, “I room with Maria! Girls rule.” 

“Does that leave me with dear old Antonio?” Came Francis’ voice as he slipped out of the water and towards them. “How ever will I ever survive?” 

Toni rolled his eyes, hand settling in Francis’ (wet) hair as he dropped his head onto Antonio’s lap and got comfortable. “Happily.”

 

A breeze ghosted in through the window of the room, cooling the hot bedroom in the summer night. Antonio was cool, comfortable and tired, but he couldn’t seem to drift to sleep. Slowly, he sat up, so not to disturb Francis sleeping soundly next to him. The clock blinked at three am. With a sigh, he pulled himself up and out of bed. 

Quietly, he padded out of the room, closing the door with a  _ click  _ behind him. The house was silent, and he had no intention to disturb that silence. He just wanted a glass of water. 

He slowed to a stop in the hallway, though, when he heard soft voices from the kitchen accompanied by the soft glow of the oven light. He squinted, who else would be up at this time? He was going to make his presence known, when he heard the soft chuckle that was Al’s laugh. Followed by a comment from Arthur, that he couldn’t understand. 

Toni inched closer, straining his ears to try and figure out what they were talking about. 

“You’re so picky,” Al was saying in a teasing voice.

“Am not. I just like what I like.” 

Toni could feel his face warm up, along with the settling sense of loneliness. Nobody talked about it much, but Antonio and Arthur used to date. They didn’t date for long, but obviously they’re still friends. 

That didn’t mean that Antonio wasn’t still very much in love with him. 

Or that Antonio didn’t get jealous anymore. 

“Uhuh. Picky.” 

“Am  _ not.”  _

The conversation continued like that for a little bit, before Antonio heard a noise like a squeak. 

“Bastard,” Arthur hissed quietly.

“Yeah.” 

Then silence. 

The silence stretched on, only interrupted by little noises. It was killing him. Carefully, he peeked around the wall and into the kitchen.  

Arthur had been placed on the counter, his legs wrapped around Al’s hips. His fingers buried in red locks. Al had their hands on Arthur’s hips, pushed up his shirt a little bit. 

And they were kissing. 

Toni felt his face heat up, stunned for the moment. Sure, he’d picked up the signs. He wasn’t  _ stupid.  _ But that didn’t mean it wasn’t a surprise catching the guy you’re in love with making out with someone you really couldn’t stand. 

Slowly, Toni turned on his heel to walk away. As much as he wanted to interfere, make a scene, it wasn’t worth it. Probably. His escape from the kitchen, however, wasn’t as clean as he wanted it to be. As his luck would have it, his elbow clipped the pot of a house plant. 

Yes, he managed to catch it before it crashed to the ground. No, he didn’t manage to do it quietly. 

The plant’s stand landed on the ground loudly, the sound of metal against tile bouncing around both the hall and the kitchen. He winced. In his plight to catch the plant, he had leaned into the dim kitchen light. 

So he had made his presence  _ very  _ known. 

Arthur gasped, shoving Al away from him. In the dim light, Toni could see Arthur’s face turn a light pink. 

Toni sucked in a breath, picking up the plant stand and placing the plant back where it belongs. 

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt-” 

“What’s your problem, man?” Al said, on the offense as always.  They moved away from Arthur, and towards him.

“My problem?” Toni was ready to leave, but he wasn’t going to leave after the aggression shown by Al. “I’m not the one making out on the counter.”  As they got closer, he could smell alcohol on their breath. He cringed, but didn’t say anything about it.

“But you’re the one who was  _ watching  _ us,” Al said, putting their hands onto their hips. 

“I didn’t mean- I wanted to get water, but instead walked in on  _ this.”  _ Antonio gestured his arm vaguely towards Arthur, who had hopped off the counter. “We eat off those counters, guys. Couldn’t you keep it behind closed doors?” 

“Couldn’t you mind your own business?” 

Toni’s face flushed in anger. “You’re not fucking listening, I  _ was minding my buisness!” _

“Knock it off, both of you!” Arthur barked, squeezing between the two of them and pushing them away before it could get physical. The smell of liquor came off of Arthur too. Of course the two of them were drunk. The smaller man took a steadying breath. 

“Toni, I’m sorry. We didn’t mean to..interrupt anything.” 

He pressed his lips together, glancing from Arthur to Al, who didn’t look sorry at all. 

“It’s fine. I just...didn’t invite you two here to make out all over my kitchen.”

“To be fair, I wasn’t invited by you at all,” Al muttered crossly.

“Gee, I fucking wonder why.” 

“I said,  _ knock it off.”  _ Arthur hissed, waving Al back towards the bedrooms. 

“Have a good night, Antonio.” Arthur said with a smile. 

“ _ Have a good night Antonio.”  _ Toni heard Al mock, and he had to take a deep breath before heading back to bed- water forgotten.

He really couldn’t understand what Arthur saw in them.


	5. August 28th

Arthur gently kicked his legs, the swing shifting under him. Cool air hit his face with every pump of his legs, and he tilted his head up to the clear, blue sky. He was alone, no company except for the squeak of the swing. The sun was low in the sky, casting a golden glow across the park. He felt kind of weird, hanging out at a park alone. 

“Hey, bigbrows,” Francis’ voice broke the silence, and he looked over to see the other blonde approaching. His hair was pulled up into a ponytail, and he was wearing a hoodie that Arthur immediately recognized as Toni’s. He dropped into the swing next to Arthur, sighing heavily. 

“Isn’t a bit early to be wearing sweaters?” Arthur asked with a raise of an eyebrow, scraping his foot against the ground to slow his swinging. 

“It gets cold after sunset,” Francis objected, rolling his blue eyes. The Englishman just smiled, knowing his friend was susceptible to cold temperatures. It was something they teased him about often. “Besides, it’s not like I could put this in my pants pocket.” 

Arthur’s heart lurched as the other produced a blunt from his pocket, wiggling it in the air with a playful grin. 

“Don’t go waving that around.” Arthur clicked his tongue in something that was almost disapproval. Francis just laughed, the swing shifting under him. “Do you have your lighter?” 

With a nod, Arthur produced his lighter from his pocket. A green one with a black snake curled up on the front of it. He reached over and dropped it in Francis’ hand, who quickly lit up.

“We’re gonna get in trouble if anyone finds out,” the green-eyed man grumbled, watching smoke billow out of Francis’ nose as if he was a sleeping dragon

“No we won’t. It’s legal now.” 

“Since when?” Arthur reached over, taking the blunt from Francis’ fingers and holding it up for a deep inhale.The smoke burned the back of his throat but he didn’t mind, used to the familiar feeling and taste. It took a moment, but he could feel the drug taking affect, his shoulders feeling looser. 

“I don’t know. A month or so ago.” 

“Hm. Cheers then.” He took another breath before handing it back over to Francis. The silence that settled between them afterwards was comfortable. It wasn’t that him and Francis didn’t hang out, but it was almost always in their friend group. And something about that kind of high energy environment spurred Arthur and Francis’ tempers with each other. But smoking together in an empty park, the sun setting behind their heads…They found comfort in each other. 

“I didn’t know you smoked,” Arthur said quietly, fiddling with the blunt for a moment before taking another hit. He coughed a few times. All the times Arthur smoked, and his former nicotine problem, and you’d think he’d get used to the tickle in his lungs. 

“I didn’t until recently.” Francis turned his head up to the sky, and Arthur could see the man following a flock of birds with his eyes. “Are you okay?” 

“I’m fine.” Arthur shook his head, handing the blunt back over to Francis. He could feel his skin warming up from the high, his mouth becoming stale. “...Why’d you start? I know Toni wouldn’t approve.”

Francis’ lips were thin but expressive, looking strange as they wrapped around the blunt. Then even stranger as they pressed together into a line after. “Somebody in my Classic Lit. offered me some...After my father passed..” 

“Oh.” 

It was Francis’ turn to cough, harder than Arthur had before. Arthur reached down into his bag that he’d placed on the ground, producing a water bottle and handing it over. The other took a generous gulp, soothing the burn in his throat. 

“I’m sorry...How’s, ah...How’s your family holding up?” 

“Better. Mom and my sister are doing a lot better than I am, I think.” Francis laughed without humour, his gaze tilting down at the woodchips under the swing. 

Arthur nodded, slowly lifting his hand. It hovered in the air for a moment before he settled it on Francis’ shoulder. The other didn’t speak for another moment. 

“I just feel like I need to be strong for them...So they can have someone to come to.” 

“I know how you feel…” Arthur mumbled, rubbing his shoulder slowly, trying to give him some kind of comfort. Despite being the youngest, Arthur had to go through the same thing when his mother passed away.

Francis sniffed once and began to cry quietly, the blunt ending up back in Arthur’s hand as the other cried into his hands, body shaking slightly. “I miss him...I miss him, Arthur…It’s awful without him, he was so kind and generous and now he’s  _ gone…”  _

There was nothing Arthur felt like he could say to ease Francis’ pain, continuing to rub his shoulder and muttering out soft  _ it’s okay _ ’s and  _ I’ve got you _ ’s. 

Eventually, Arthur slowly stood from the swing, his legs feeling weak for a moment, like he couldn’t carry his own weight. He reached out for the other’s hand and pulled him up so they were both standing. 

“What are you doing?” Francis asked through his tears, wiping desperately at his face as if he were trying to hide the evidence 

“C’mon.” Still holding Francis’ hand, Arthur began to walk away from the swingset and towards a spot in the playground, devoid of sets for kids to play on. And he layed down across the woodchips, gesturing for his friend to do the same. Francis hesitated before laying down as well, next to him. The stars were just beginning to peek out, the sky a blanket of dark blue above them. 

“Do you believe in Heaven?” Arthur asked, peeking over at the other blond on the ground with him. A sniff, and Francis nodded. 

“I do.” 

“Well…” He looked back up at the sky, and hesitated. “Which star do you think is him?” 

“What?” Francis almost laughed in a watery way through the question. 

“Don’t make me repeat myself…” Arthur mumbled, almost embarrassed as he took another slow drag from the blunt. Francis sniffed again, staring up at the sky. 

“That one.” He stretched his hand up, pointing at a star shining brightly against the sky. 

“He’s keeping an eye on you.” He passed the blunt back over to Francis, his head swimming from the high. 

“Hope he’s not disappointed in me,” Francis mumbled, the words making the smaller man roll over onto his side to look at him, a seriousness in his face. 

“Nobody could be disappointed in you, idiot. You’re too good.”

The sincerity in his tone seemed to surprise Francis, the man looking over to meet his gaze.

“I mean it.” 

“I know…”

Arthur nodded curtly and rolled back over to gaze up at the stars, taking a deep breath of the  cold air. His face burned when he realized what he’d said, not used to showing his emotions so clearly, especially not to Francis. 

“Don’t..Don’t tell anybody I said that..” He grumbled, making Francis laugh.

“Okay. Thank you.” 

“Yeah, yeah..”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is TOO SHORT >:p


End file.
